Our globalised world brings with it an increased sense of the deepening inter-dependencyof countries. Environmental challenges are global and local. The internationalisation of economies coupled with the explosive growth of social media have created a situation where events taking place in different corners of the world can rapidly impact the daily lives of people living anywhere else on the planet.

At the same time, the focal point in design is shifting increasingly from object orientation to more human, user-centred, and societal approaches. Designing responsibly and imaginatively is not new, but a fresh will and spirit seem to be emerging. Can these socially aware design approaches really offer something meaningful that we can adopt today, and will they be relevant even tomorrow?

Finding answers and crossing boundaries

Aalto University will strive to answer these questions in a seminar organised on the 6th of March 2012. The international Designing for New Realities! -seminar challenges us to re-consider the significance of design in society. The seminar opens up the historical and current trends of responsible design through real-life projects and creates perspectives into the future.

The seminar crosses boundaries between countries, age groups, nationalities, and different sectors of the economy by including contributions from students, researchers, professors, overseas university partners, and experts. Aalto’s partner universities (Tongji University, China and MIT and the Stanford University, USA-originating Embrace Global) will take part in the seminar and provide concrete examples to be displayed in the DesignWorld exhibition at the Design Museum.

Follow the stream

A total of 150 invited guests will take part in the seminar, and a direct webcast of the event will be available to viewers throughout the world.Follow the live stream on March 6th at www.goodmood.fi/aalto/.

Current

If you missed the live streaming of the Designing for New Realities! seminar, never fear. The seminar is now online on YouTube. As summed up by moderator Alastair Fuad-Luke, "the collective ambition of the speakers and audience was palpable and, hopefully, societies are ready to take action to finally validate the foundation laid by an earlier generation who raised the socially conscious design flag back in the 1960s."

Can socially aware design approaches really offer something meaningful that we can adopt today, and will they be relevant even tomorrow? Aalto University will strive to answer these questions in a seminar organised, as part of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 program.

The Design Exploration and Experimentation: Family project is nearing its end. The students are placing finishing touches to their works, which will be presented at the Design Museum next Tuesday, March 6th. Before the big day we take a look behind the scenes, including a pilot project by Maarten den Breeijen.